| This article is Part II of a two-part article. The first | | | | had set out to accomplish for myself. I also felt that I |
| article, entitled "He may be blind, but he can still see" | | | | didn't want to take on the added responsibility and |
| was written by my wife about her concerns dating | | | | stress that a disabled person might present in addition |
| and then marrying a disabled person, me. This article | | | | to the normal pressures inherent in a relationship. I |
| summarizes my attitude while we were dating, an | | | | know that sounds terribly selfish, but that is how I felt. |
| attitude about dating or marrying a disabled person | | | | However, having found my soulmate in Cynthia, I |
| that changed from one of caution to one of absolute | | | | moved quickly to the second group. I recognized that it |
| and unconditional love. | | | | would be one thing if we were both disabled by |
| Like Cynthia, I read Peter Finch's article in this | | | | blindness, but since we each have different disabilities, |
| magazine, in which he discusses society's attitude | | | | together we make up one complete person. And |
| toward dating the disabled. He mentioned a study, | | | | together, we have pushed the boundaries of what |
| which separated people's viewpoint about dating a | | | | disabled people can accomplish. Together, we |
| disabled person into three groups. After losing my sight | | | | established our own publishing firm, donating up to 20% |
| at the age of 15, I squarely planted myself in the third | | | | of the proceeds to various charities, in an attempt to |
| group: I made it very clear that dating someone with a | | | | give back to those organizations, which helped us |
| disability was not for me. This was partly because of | | | | attain the goals we, as disabled persons, set out for |
| the fact that I have attention deficit disorder or ADD | | | | ourselves. In short, I decided that, while it made sense |
| and I need to be very mobile. I felt that a disabled | | | | not to marry or get involved with a blind disabled |
| person would hold me back from accomplishing all I | | | | person, most other disabilities did not concern me. |